Inevitable Love
by Tenshi-Battosai
Summary: INUNARU Neji needed someone to love and exchange secrets with. He needed a new perspective of life. Kagome wanted somebody to truly care for and know the feelings would be returned. On a sunny morning in Konohagakure...both wishes were granted. NejiKag
1. Chapter 1

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha.

This will be a short, multi-chaptered story, so don't expect it to range around 20 chapters. (Sadly) The pairing is Neji/Kagome, of which I have never seen on so far.

A lot of you have been waiting to see this go up. I apologize for the lateness of it because around the last minute, I felt that one of the parts that I had already written in the story was very immature and rushed in my point of view, so I decided to change it. And as you all know, when you try to change something, you have to meld the new thing into the storyline and that took a while for me… Yeah, anyways, enjoy! (I hope…)

Just beforehand, a lot of people may be OOC, I'm warning you now since I really need to shape up this story properly.

Neji's team is 19, and the 'rookies' are 18 years old.

**Chapter 1: The Meeting**

_He knows the crimson of rage, and the azure of despair…but his eyes will never change; the purity of white._

Neji, Tenten, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke had no idea what compelled them to wait at the gates of Konoha with Lee.

"Who are you waiting for again?" Sakura yawned. It was 7am in the morning after all.

"My cousin!" Lee exclaimed excitedly, nearly bouncing off the walls.

"From the Wind Country or maybe the Earth Country?" Tenten questioned.

"Not at all! She's from a non-ninja village!"

"WHAT?"

"Oh! OH! A non-ninja village? What do they do there? Why is she coming here? Does she look like you? Is she a ninja?" Naruto piped up, suddenly bouncing around just like Lee, "Tell me, thick-brows!"

Neji thought for a while, frowning slightly, finally speaking up, "Why would she be a ninja if she came from a non-ninja village?"

Naruto went silent.

Sasuke snorted, "Loser"

"Urusai!"

"So…" Tenten began again, "How long is she staying?"

Lee grinned, "She's staying her forever. Aunty thought it would be best. I don't know why though"

"Maybe it's the area?" The weapons user suggested, thinking about the reasons why she loved Konoha. The trees, forests…but of course, she didn't know what type of atmosphere his cousin came from, so Tenten couldn't compare.

Then, something dawned on Sakura, "Hey, if this girl is related to Lee, wouldn't she look the same? Pretty much, maybe?"

The rest of the group stared at Sakura, bug-eyed, but in realization. The air around them lit up with an icy chill and had an aura of horror surrounding them.

"Anyways…?" Sasuke blinked twice, and then regained his composure.

"I suppose that she's coming here very early" Neji commented bluntly, crossing his arms and restraining a bored yawn.

"Yeah" Lee agreed, "That just shows how youthful she is to wake up so early!" Lee cried out in glee, while everybody else gave him peculiar looks.

"I…guess soo…?" Tenten and Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Alright!" Naruto grinned, "I hope she's really nice and will buy me ramen"

"Maybe the first time, but never after that" Sakura rolled her eyes, "Not after she finds out how disgusting, fast, and how much you eat!"

"Hey!" The Kyuubi whined.

"She's very nice" Lee reassured them; "I hope you'll be nice to her" His other friends were not used to Lee being so serious, trying to ignore the fact this morning.

"Yeah, over there. How troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking away to his favourite spot.

"Thanks!" A girl called back, happily smiling and carrying a large suitcase that seemed too big for her to be capable to carry.

"Who's that? I've never seen her around in the village before…" Tenten muttered.

"She's so pretty!" Sakura squealed and once snapping back to reality, hit Naruto upside the head, trying to avoid the pools of drool coming from him.

But there was one thing that shocked them the most.

"Kagome!" Lee lit up with joy, "Kagome! You're here!"

_That_ was Lee's cousin?

Nothing special of course, except for that odd red and white outfit, coming along with a sword strapped to her waist, a bow slung over her shoulder, and a quiver of arrows resting on her back.

"…I thought you said a non-ninja village?" Tenten eyed the sword, bow and arrows excitedly. They looked deathly antique, but still in perfect conditions with scratches and dents only from weathered use. You could hardly find those around anymore! 'As soon as I can, she's got to let me see them!'

"Yeah!" Lee boasted, "But she's special!"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Yeah Lee, I'm here, get an eyebrow waxing, will ya?"

Everybody else silently agreed.

The boy didn't seem to hear what she just said and excitedly passed on to a load of questions, "How was the non-ninja village? How was your trip? How did you get here? How is everybody else? Are you okay? Are you tired? Why did you want to come so early? Is it because you're still so youthful? What about--"

Neji noticed her apprehension to all the overwhelming questions and laid a hand on Lee's shoulder, "Lee, I think she can only answer one question at a time" He has never been this patient before, but decided to give his teammate some leeway since he was seeing his cousin again.

He gave Neji a blank look, "Oh…yeah"

Kagome smiled, "That's alright…It was okay, my trip was fine, I'm not that tired – it's still early morning, I wanted to come early…I don't actually know… I guess I'm youthful…well, I sure hope I am!" She slowly answered each question, thinking over what he had asked first to make sure she hadn't missed one.

Naruto snapped out of his shock and grinned, stepping up to Kagome, "Hi! I'm Naruto!"

"Hey Naruto! My name's Kagome!" Kagome laughed, shaking his hand, "I can assume that you're all Lee's friends, right?"

Lee bounced around in happiness, "That's Tenten, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and –oh! That's Neji! The others didn't want to wake up so early"

"I can't blame them for wanting to sleep in. Nice to meet you all" Kagome bowed and sighed, "Well, Lee! You said you had a place for me to stay?"

"Yeah! You can stay at my place!"

The others cringed, 'you can't be serious…please tell me you're not serious…'

Kagome, sensing everybody's discomfort, (Apart from Lee) raised an eyebrow and stared at her cousin.

"I thought you were living with Gai-sensei?" Tenten countered, in an effort to save her new friend from a heap load of embarrassing things.

"Gai-sensei? Is that your teacher?" Kagome lightened up, "I'd like to meet him one time… -"

'No, you wouldn't' Sakura idly thought, 'You'd die because he'd be too…unique…'

"-And supposedly, I'll just rent an apartment" Kagome offered a weak smile to Lee, "Thank you for the offer though. I wouldn't want to cram your place, and besides – I need my own place to stay now that I'm going to be living here for probably…the rest of my life…"

Sasuke and Neji inwardly nodded in approval at her independence, 'So, she's not one of those sick-minded girls around here'

They thought back to those horrid, rabid fan girls who would do anything for the two prodigies to just look at them.

"Erm…do need help with that…?" Neji stared at the girl and the suitcase she was, "Are you having any trouble?"

"Nah, I'm fine" Kagome grinned once again, "Lee, you can just go on where you need to go, I'll look for an apartment and meet up with you later"

"Awesome!" He smiled enthusiastically, jumping off again after he flashed his cousin a smile.

After making sure he was out of hearing distance, Kagome turned back to his friends and responded, "I think my cousin's been fed too much sugar…I'll need to make him cut down on it a bit so he's not this…out there"

Tenten cocked her head; "Now that you mention it…Gai-sensei has been taking him out to the local dango store various times and has been feeding him chocolate often…"

"Ah…that would explain why"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "He's been like this because of sugar?"

"Yeah, supposedly"

"Baka"

"He used to have sugar when he was little until his aunt, my mom, just couldn't handle any more china plates, glass, and sofa springs being broken" Kagome explained, "If she had stopped any later, we would've gone broke trying to replace everything"

Neji snorted.

It was silent for a moment before Sakura realized something, "I promised Tsunade I'd help her with something today!"

"I'm so sorry guys!" Sakura waved her arms around, apologizing until she disappeared into the air again.

Sasuke looked up at the sky, watching the sun, "I'm going home" His words were barely cut off before he 'teleported' out too.

"What are you looking for, Naruto?" Tenten asked, trying to peer down the same street that the kitsune was.

"YES!" Naruto suddenly cried out, startling the majority of the people here, "THE RAMEN SHOP IS OPEN NOW! WHERE'S IRUKA?"

The remainder of the group only had time to blink the dust out of their eyes as a flash of orange bolted down the street.

"Well" Tenten sighed, "It's getting late now, I'm going to start training, do you want to come, Neji, Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head, "Thanks, but I've got to find an apartment to rent"

Tenten frowned, "Will you need any help with that?"

"I…I don't know, actually…I don't know my way around here"

Grinning, Tenten stared at Neji, "Neji can help you, I'll be off now" She gently pushed the Hyuuga forward, running off before they could stop her from reaching the training grounds.

And Neji would have followed after, but… well; he couldn't just leave the poor girl hanging.

He sighed, turning back to Lee's cousin, Kagome.

"Ah…" Kagome rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, dropping her suitcase and sitting on it with a thump, "So…"

* * *

And that's the first chapter! Keep in mind that this will be a short story, it'll probably be less than 10 chapters, I dunno… P Anyways, what do you think? The chapter didn't come out as satisfying for me, but enough for me to be moderately happy with it. Read and review onegai! 

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai

**PS - This story won't be updated frequently until I at least finish 'Book of Paradise' Yes. I can only deal with so many stories before I crack. Lol! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha.

Sorry for the late chapter guys. I meant to upload the chapter yesterday, but didn't find the time to... Sorrows of Yesterday's chapter is almost finished, I just have to figure out how to do a part of it. Road to an Eternity of Wars really hasn't gone anywhere yet and I'm just so busy that I can't fix all of this. (Wahh!)

-Neji will be pretty OOC, gomen nasai, I'm trying to speed up the 'romance' progress a bit since this is going to be a fairly short story. He's going to be talking a lot more than normal… TT

Yes, slowing down the romance, speeding up the logic. Though, should I really be doing that? (Ehh?)

**Chapter 2: Coming to a Ragged Understanding

* * *

**

_I deny it,  
But the butterflies in my stomach say differently,  
And I know,  
It's always correct._  
- Tenshi-Battosai

* * *

"Ah…" Kagome rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, dropping her suitcase and sitting on it with a thump, "So…"

Neji just stood there silently, "…"

"…do you know where I could rent an apartment, by any chance…?" Kagome asked, almost hesitantly.

The Hyuuga turned to her, "Ads in the newspaper" Without leaving any more room for explanations, Neji picked up the suitcase, unnoticeably wincing as he discovered how heavy it was. It wasn't heavy for him, but he was fully expecting something lighter for a suitcase and not an…elephant of sorts.

How the hell did the woman carry this thing?

"Uhh…excuse me, Neji? Where are you going?" She rushed to catch up with him, a tad bit shocked that he just sort of walked off.

"My house" His reply was blunt.

"What?"

"…"

* * *

**The Hyuuga Compound (Branch)…**

"So…this is where you live?" Kagome asked curiously, peering into a random room.

"Yes, this is the branch house. The main house is much larger" Neji said this apathetically.

He didn't have a lot against the main house anymore. Hiashi and he had come to a grudging truce, though it was very sparse.

Thankfully, he had gotten on good terms with Hinata. Neji felt that she was the only main house member that he could really trust nowadays.

"You can drop your stuff off here" Neji gestured, "This is my room, if you don't have a place to stay by the end of the day, then you can stay here" He opened the door, "Any other room is currently occupied"

"Thank you!" Kagome smiled. She carefully examined his room.

It was neatly furnished. In one corner, held a tidy double bed with a wooden desk not too far away from it, papers stacked and pens weighing it down on top. A black chair was tucked in. A soft rug was sprawled on in the middle of the floor, an end lightly brushing against an armchair at the other end of the room, coffee table to the left of that. It was pretty spaced, with an innocent kunai lying haphazardly on the middle of the floor, closet opened a crack.

The Hyuuga watched Kagome examine his room with slight scrutiny. She wasn't inspecting it, just scanning the area like Neji had a habit to do. Neji, for some reason, suddenly felt more open to this girl than anyone else.

Tenten, Lee, and Gai-sensei…he hardly ever spoke more than two sentences to them, apart from discussing team plans, that is.

"So…could I see the main house?" Kagome questioned, pursing her lips together.

"Whatever, the newspapers are kept there. Apparently, the newspapers are delivered there, and not to here"

Kagome frowned, 'What a screwed up clan…If there's so many people in it, why only have 1 or two copies of a newspaper?'

"Anyways, it's nothing for you to brood on. Let's go"

* * *

**The Hyuuga Compound (Main)…**

"Wait here for a minute, I'll get the paper" Neji pulled out a chair in the living room near the door so she could make herself comfortable and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably in her seat, now trying to relax with the notion that she was alone in somebody else's large…mansion.

The house seemed pretty empty at the moment. Actually, you could call it a mansion and still be fairly off… For such a big house, where was everybody currently at…?

The door creaked open and shut again, footsteps approaching the miko.

Kagome jerked her head up – it wasn't Neji… 'Alright then…so somebody is home…'

"Who are you?" The man asked bluntly, startling Kagome.

"Kagome…Kagome Higurashi, Lee's cousin"

The older man only seemed to frown on that topic, "And who invited you in here…?" He questioned, placing his coffee on the table and sitting on the living room loveseat.

Kagome then smiled cheerfully, "Neji! He's getting me the newspaper" 'Is this the guy Neji mentioned before – Hiashi?' She inwardly raised an eyebrow.

Hiashi's frown turned into a horribly upset look, "Neji…isn't he supposed to be training at the moment?"

Kagome got perplexed. What was up with this guy? "Well, I find it very kind of him to be helping me look for somewhere to live today…I'm new here, and don't really know my way around"

"Mmmhmm" Hiashi pursed his lips together, offering a small smile when he sensed her discomfort.

She returned a little uneasy smile.

"Why does Neji need the newspaper?"

"…I need to rent out an apartment, so he went to grab one for me"

"I see"

"So, I heard you were the clan leader of the Hyuuga clan?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact" Hiashi nodded, wondering how she knew if she just came here. But it was possible to know if you were from other villages. After all, they were a very big clan.

Lee had told her about the Hyuuga clan's conflicts. It made Kagome think about their problems and how the leader acted as a leader, "What helps you keep the clan together?" A curious question. Pretty innocent, but slightly demanding.

"…" The Hyuuga did not answer, choosing to go for the ignorant attitude now.

Kagome got a bit frustrated. He wasn't intimidating her, he was being complicated. She clenched her teeth together, recollecting her thoughts.

"You know…" The miko broke the silence, sighing.

Hiashi looked up from his swirling coffee, attentively listening.

"Neji's not such a bad guy, I don't think. Even if he's from the Branch House, I think you should treat everybody equally. Everybody's humane. Okay…maybe not everybody, but I'm hoping I got my point across"

He nodded slowly, "I'll think about it"

Neji stopped outside of the closed door with a new newspaper, absorbing the silence on the other side of the door. Slowly, he turned the doorknob, noting the click when it reached as far as it could turn.

He froze though, when he heard Hiashi's voice…talking…to Kagome.

"Perhaps I was being a bit brash, but you must understand that the Branch Family lives to serve the Main House"

"But why?" Kagome let out a deep breath, exasperated.

"We sort out the noble blood from the second born. The second born protect the first so the bloodline can be safe"

"You can protect the bloodline whatever with many other strategies" Kagome noted dully.

Hiashi was a stubborn man.

"Yes, maybe, but this way is more infused within the family"

"Why does that matter, making yourself seem more superior to others, just because you have power? They resent you because of your actions"

Hiashi remained silent.

Neji slowly pushed the door open and calmly walked right past a frozen Hiashi. His face had a look of indifference, though he was a bit confused.

Kagome looked up and nodded at Neji, seeing him motion for them to leave.

Together, Neji and Kagome closed the second door behind them, walking out of the property.

Neji was lucky. If he stayed a second longer, Hiashi would've considered turning the Hyuuga seal on him. But perhaps, even if he stayed, there would be no reason for a fight. It was just his resentment to the main house that made the Hyuuga think such thoughts.

There was a feeling of respect radiating from Hiashi and Kagome by the time the front door closed.

A feeling of maybe, understanding.

**

* * *

A Park in Konoha…**

"That was thoroughly unnecessary" Neji stated thoughtfully, taking a seat on the bench next to Kagome.

Kagome sighed deeply, "I didn't really do anything, truthfully. I just said what I thought, and watched him listen"

"Though that seemed to change something in him" Neji replied observantly, taking a long look at the young woman that had her eyes closed.

The miko seemed to settle down a bit after the unexpected conversation, "So…is there an ice-cream stand around here somewhere? I'm in the mood for a sweet treat," She explained, having the need to eat something light.

"Aa…" The Hyuuga nodded, standing up and walking her towards the shop.

**

* * *

Ice Cream Stand…**

"One dollar and fifty cents, please" The man stated monotonously, holding out a hand for the money.

Kagome bit back a smile, whispering to Neji, "He's really got to lighten up"

A small smile spread on Neji's face. He held his hand out, stopping Kagome's hand from reaching the wallet, "This one's my treat" he explained politely, drawing out his own cash.

"Thanks" She muttered softly, graciously taking the ice-cream cone in her hands.

They took a seat on a nearby bench; both considerably content just sitting beside each other.

'How ironic…' Neji thought, 'Lee's cousin…is like this…She's nothing like the teammate we know…'

'He's trying to be so helpful…' Kagome bit her lip, 'I hope I'm not troubling him…'

She absently licked her ice cream and offered some to Neji, "Want some?" Kagome mumbled, licking some of the melted parts off her lips.

"Sure" Neji, who was yet still deep in though, entwined their fingers together around the cone and bit into the cone, swallowing it.

Only afterwards did they realize what just occurred.

"OH! I'm so sorry! I-I forgot!" Kagome's eyes widened, nearly dropping the cone in shock.

Neji's eyes did the same, "Gomen nasai! I wasn't thinking properly!"

The miko swallowed a lump in her throat, a wild, untamed blush racing across her cheeks, "It was my fault…"

"No, really it wasn't" Neji glanced away from her face, hiding his flustered face, even though she probably wouldn't have seem it anyways, 'Why am I acting like this…?'

"A-anyways…I should really start trying to find a place to stay now" Kagome quickly changed the subject, feeling lightheaded with all the days events.

"Aa…yeah" Neji snatched the newspaper up from the bench and opened it to the classifieds section, running his finger down to the part where it mentioned, 'Apartment for rent' or 'House for sale'.

"We should start there," Kagome pointed to an ad, both of them forgetting what just happened moments ago.

"Sounds good…it's right by the Hokage's Tower" Neji beckoned Kagome to follow him, racing down the streets.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the second chapter…I wouldlike to thank you guys who are supporting this story! It really helps me drag myself along.I did warn you that it would be quite OOC…Anyways, read and review onegai!

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai


	3. Chapter 3

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto. – Hmm… or maybe anything at all… (Frowns)

Hey guys! Here's chapter 3 – I hope you enjoy the story so far, it being Kagome/Neji and all…

I know I'm taking this pretty fast, but…I just…I just don't know…

I, once again, appreciate all your reviews so far! It's really gotten me going on a pairing like this! Now…back to doing laundry before continuing this… Ugh…

**Chapter 3: Breaking Down the Contents

* * *

**

_'Occasionally, …What you have to do is go back to the beginning and see everything in a new way.'_

-Peter Straub

* * *

**Overall POV…**

"I can't believe it…I just really can't believe it…" Kagome desperately tried to catch her breath, resting the palms of her hands on her knees, "All sold out…every single apartment and house – sold out…"

Neji closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief, "And I thought that everybody was having a hard time trying to find someone at the time…"

"Well…I guess things change just a bit too quickly" Kagome grinned weakly up at the Hyuuga, taking another deep breath.

He had more stamina, so he wasn't nearly as tired as she.

"So…what are we going to do now… -what am **I** going to do now?" Kagome blinked owlishly as her vision started to blur.

Running in the Feudal Era was much different than this. They had walked – here, running at normal speed was like sprinting 800m and maintaining the pace throughout the run.

"Well…" Neji considered it for a moment, "As I said before, you could stay at the branch house. I'm sure everybody else wouldn't mind"

"Uh…Thanks…" Kagome smiled, tilting her head back to look at the sky, "You guys have such beautiful sunsets here" she remarked, leaning back on a pole to relax and watch the scenery.

It was silent for a while, both mesmerized by different things in the sky.

"…Sometimes, I think destiny plays right into our hands…" Neji commented softly, his eyes following a bluebird that gracefully trailed through the sky.

Kagome moved her glance over to him.

"…And…and fate…always determines what we will end up as in the end…you can't control it – both of them, I mean…_but_…you can always hope for the best…right…?"

It was quiet where they stood.

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as he started talking again.

Neji closed his eyes once again, taking in a deep breath of the cool evening air, "…And although destiny may be in your hands…it is connected by strings…binding one soul to another"

Kagome cocked her head thoughtfully, just imagining the thin threads connecting in the air, not daring to make a sound as Neji spoke once more.

"…And…_you can't cut those strings_…thin as a strand of hair…yet strong as wire…" He whipped his gaze towards Kagome, grasping her hand in his, as if they were in a trance – yet…they were.

Neji guided her soft hand through the air, supposedly 'feeling' the strand that connected their souls together, "And…doesn't snap…"

The spell was broken as a crow cawed loudly, disturbing their peace.

Kagome jolted back into reality, along with Neji, and they blinked several times, still thinking about what just happened.

"I can't help but wonder…" Neji finished off, smiling wryly, "Are our destinies entwined?"

The two started walking, the padding of feet against dirt, and his question remained unanswered.

* * *

**Ichiraku Ramen…**

"You're lucky" The cook grinned, "Naruto left just before you came, if silence was what you were seeking out"

Neji nodded graciously, taking a seat beside Kagome, "I'm paying for it" He stopped her arm from reaching her pocket once again.

Kagome mildly protested, "But…you paid for the ice cream! At this rate…you're going to make me feel so poor"

He chuckled lightly, "But you're the guest, I must treat you"

She pouted, earning a small smile from Neji, "Fine, but I'm paying next time"

"Agreed" He'd just have to find a way around that…

"So…this is where Naruto eats his dinner?" Kagome assumed.

"Aa…" Neji responded, "And I've heard that he has instant ramen if he's not able to come here"

"Wow…that's a lot of ramen" Kagome remarked, 'Reminds me of a certain someone…'

"Your ramen's ready! Eat!" The cook smiled cheerfully, beckoning Kagome and Neji to eat.

Kagome thanked him warmly, "Thank you!"

"Thank you" Neji added in himself, quietly, and sounding almost as enthusiastic as Kagome. Well...only a close teammate would figure that out.

As the cook walked away to fill yet another order, Kagome turned to Neji, hoping to start some sort of a conversation once again, "So…I heard from Lee that you're in his team?"

"Hai, with Tenten" Neji responded softly, picking up a pair of chopsticks.

"…If I may ask…who were the other people there this morning, then?" She took a bite of her ramen, eating more as a silent approval of its taste.

"They're from other teams. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura are from Team 7"

Kagome nodded her head in understanding.

They ate in silence for the next couples minutes.

"So…" The miko started again, "I also heard that Lee was living with his teacher today?" She sighed as her dinner was finished, her chopsticks and spoon placed back on the counter.

"Yes" Neji answered, "Our leader, Gai-sensei. Sometimes, they can be very disturbing"

A frown spread on Kagome face, but then softened as she allowed herself to think it over for a minute, "I suppose… that Gai-sensei is his fatherly figure then…. I guess"

Neji raised an eyebrow, his ramen finished several seconds before she finished hers, "Fatherly figure…?"

"Yeah… When we were about 5 years old, Lee's parents – my aunt and uncle – had a fight…and my uncle split up with her and just…left. And then his mom died in a mistake accident, leaving him alone. My mom offered to take him in, but by then, he just went missing"

Neji willed her to continue, listening actively.

"Several years later, when he would've become 8, we received a letter from him saying that he was okay and where he was…

My mom was so relieved… She offered him to stay at our place, but Lee claimed that he was happy where he was, so we just stayed in contact.

And then, right after that, several big events happened to me at the age of 15, then I learned how to defend myself" Kagome finished off.

The Hyuuga did not want to push into getting information of the 'big events' but was actually going to ask before he noticed the look on her face as she had told him.

"That's why he only knows Taijutsu then…that would explain it…" Neji nodded in understanding.

Kagome laughed, "He was always talking about you and Sasuke, and how he'd beat you two 'geniuses' one day!"

Well…that was to be expected of Lee. He dreamt that since he saw Neji and Sasuke fight.

The two stood up and thanked the cook again for the food, starting their walk back to the Hyuuga compound.

"I…I never really understood the concept…of why the Branch House always had to be inferior – nor the reason why I had to be placed in the lower ranks" Neji admitted. He didn't know why he felt so compelled to share all of this. He knew why he was placed in the Brach House, but never knew why he had to.

Kagome turned to look at him while walking, "Nobody really understands why things work in a certain way" She sighed, "Some things…are very unfair"

"Even afterwards" He continued, "After Hiashi explained to me all the reasons why I shouldn't hate the Main House… I believe he only sounded more gentle than rough and wise was to protect the Main House from being hurt by me again"

"Again?" Kagome questioned in curiosity.

"Yes. During the Chunin exams, I fought a Main House member – Hinata. We're on good terms now, but back then, I doubt Hiashi liked me any better. I suppose that he is the reason why I've come to hate him so much. It's his fault that I grew more in hatred"

"Hiashi doesn't seem to have much patience" Kagome lightly joked, fingering her bow and remembering what occurred earlier that day, "It's getting dark…"

The stars now shone brightly in the black sky.

"Aa…"

As they neared the compound, Neji explained to Kagome some things, "Due to the lack of support to the Branch House, we constantly have more people being placed in it…and not enough rooms. Several people are sharing rooms due to the lack of space…"

"Oh…" Kagome trailed of, 'the Branch House has the majority then…'

"Luckily, I haven't had to share with anyone else yet. You may stay in my room, if you'd like"

"If that's not too much trouble to you…" Kagome un-strapped her quiver of arrows and sword, taking her bow off her shoulder too as they entered the house.

Several members with the same milky white eyes turned to look at the two, nodding in approval to Neji, the leader of the Branch House. Some murmured rumors of the Main House that day.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of people, Kagome directed her gaze towards the ground, following Neji by the back of his heels.

* * *

**Neji's Room…**

After successfully changing into her sleeping attire, Kagome slid into the makeshift bed on the floor beside Neji, watching his back as the Hyuuga shifted on the mattress.

"Thank you for…everything today" Kagome commented shyly, stifling a yawn.

"Hn" His voice was barely a whisper; Kagome had to strain her ears to catch his answer.

She smiled softly in contentment. His answer seemed typical and normal, for some reason, "Oyasumi nasai, Neji" Her eyes closed, battling the forces of sleep.

"Good night…Kagome" He was never heard, for Kagome had already fallen asleep seconds before.

* * *

And that's the chapter! I hope you like the story so far. It takes so much effort just to try and make Neji stay in character, while still starting some type of romance… (Ugh…) Well, anyways, read and review onegai!

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai


	4. Chapter 4

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

And here's the next chapter! Sorry about that, guys, I got more homework… again… It's been so busy these past couple weeks, and I find myself crammed up with stuff. For those of you reading my other stories, I'm trying to get them up ASAP, but there's no guarantees until my summer vacation starts... I was just lucky this was already finished...

**Chapter 4: Accomplishment

* * *

**

_What is life?  
What is life without you by my side?  
For every step I take,  
You beside me,  
I feel taller,  
And without you,  
I would be nothing.

* * *

_

"...Yeah…I got that one from somebody I consider as a grandma" Kagome commented, pointing to her bow, which Tenten was currently holding at the moment. Kaede had given her that special, redwood one.

"It's structured very well!" Tenten replied, smiling, "Whoever gave it to you must care for you a lot! And that sword! It's very well made…! It seems like something that came from the feudal era!"

Kagome bit back a secretive smile.

Neji sat on the other side of the room, on a couch, and viewing their exchange contently, a half-smile across his face.

You could never see his half-smiles…

"…Really…?" Kagome faked, "That's so cool!"

Now, the Hyuuga raised an eyebrow, finally standing up, "Aren't you looking for a place to live instead of just sitting here?"

The miko's eyes widened, "Oh yeah! I'm so sorry Tenten, but I need to find a house!" Grabbing all her items off the table, she slid them back onto her body and snatched Neji's hand, half leading and dragging him out the door.

Tenten was left sitting there, blinking.

"Hey Tenten!" A voice shouted out enthusiastically, "Have you seen Kagome? I want her to meet Gai-sensei today!"

The kunoichi turned around, "Oh, hey Lee! … Sorry, but Kagome just left with Neji"

Lee's smiled faltered a bit.

Seeing her teammate's depressed look, Tenten encouraged, "…But I'm sure she'll be available tomorrow, or at least in the next couple of days! They only went out to find a house for her to live in! Maybe some other time?"

Lee lit up again, filled with hope again, "Okay, Tenten! Thanks!"

With that, she was left alone again.

Sighing, Tenten shook her head, taking out her weapons and a cloth to clean them. The teammates and friends she knew were just a bit too enthusiastic about life.

* * *

**Neji and Kagome's POV…**

"This place looks okay" Kagome pointed out to an advertisement, and then to the little house right by them.

It was one of the very few places in the village that actually wasn't an apartment, and was still small and affordable.

Refolding their used newspaper, Neji and Kagome approached the humble adobe, staring at the door for a second before placing 3 loud knocks on the wooden door.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

Nobody seemed to live in the house, because nobody opened. But still, here was a possibility that the person just might be out shopping or on a mission, or –

"Could I help you two youngsters?"

This sudden voice made the two nearly jump as Kagome and Neji turned around, trying to settle their heartbeat.

"Oh…did I startle you? I sincerely apologize. How may I help you two?" It was an elderly lady carrying a bunch of groceries in one hand, and the house key in another.

"Yeah…I saw your house for sale on the newspaper. Is it still available?" Kagome smiled, answering with all the politeness she could muster at the moment.

"Oh yes! Come in! Come in!" The lady pushed Neji and Kagome into the door and got them seated with a cup of tea in hand in the living room.

"Just let me finish shelving my vegetables and I'll be right with you…"

After a couples minutes, the lady finally sat down in front of the two.

"Yes, so my friend is looking for a house to live in that is suitable" Neji finally spoke.

Kagome looked over to Neji, thankful that he would help her on this sort of thing, "Yeah… I'm just moving into the village, so I don't know much about it…"

"So, are you two mowing in together?" The woman winked, laughing as Kagome turned bright red and Neji gained a flustered look on his face.

"N-No!" Kagome choked out, embarrassed.

The lady let out a laugh and a secretive, knowing smile, "Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought since you two came in together and look so cute together…!"

"Anyways" Neji coughed, regaining his wits, "Back to the subject at hand?"

After a little bit of discussion, you could call the house sold.

* * *

**The Park…**

"Thanks for everything, Neji" Kagome grinned.

"No problem" He smiled wryly.

"I'm going to have to call my mom so I can bring the furniture in" Kagome explained, taking out her cell phone, "I'm hoping there's reception around here"

'Phone?' Neji nearly raised an eyebrow when he saw this unusual contraption resting on Kagome's hand, "Sure" He replied, acting as if he knew exactly what it was.

They had phones, yes, but not mobile ones yet.

It was remarkable.

After talking for a couple minutes, Kagome turned off her phone and faced the Hyuuga, "It should come in a week or so, what should we do now?"

Neji shrugged casually, "The sun's almost setting, why don't we just go a bit further up the hill?"

"Sure"

As they reached the destination, Kagome spread herself out onto the lush grass, right beside Neji, who was sitting down, hands propping his body up.

"It's the sunset again" Kagome sighed wistfully. A gentle breeze passed by, brushing some hair onto her face. She was about to brush it away when a slender hand intercepted, doing the task for her.

"Yes…The sunset…" Neji finally replied, drawing his arm back to support his body again.

He thought that, that pink shade on Kagome's face was just the reflection from the clouds.

Sometimes, Neji's perspectives could be awfully inaccurate.

"What's wrong?" Kagome turned towards the Hyuuga, seeing that he was thinking hard, creases forming above the bridge of his nose.

"It's nothing, really. I'm fine" Neji actually was a bit disappointed now, surprisingly. Kagome wouldn't be staying in the branch house anymore, "You can visit the branch house whenever you want to though. You're always welcome"

"Yeah…thanks. Thanks a lot" Kagome hesitated for a moment, and then gave him a bone crushing hug, "You're a great friend" She mumbled through his hair, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Neji nearly turned bright red, slowly patting Kagome on the back, "Uh…no problem…?" What was that sudden change of heart?

Kagome laughed, releasing her grip on him. Then, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the direction of the market, "Come on! We've still got the evening to go do something!"

Neji didn't object.

Instead, he hesitantly wrapped an arm around her waist, relaxing when she either didn't seem to notice, or didn't mind at all.

* * *

**Streets of Konoha…**

The streets were always brightly lit in the evening, just before the sun completely set. It was mostly quite lively around this time, with villagers chattering and visiting the small stalls set up by the stores.

Ino and some others passed by, but snapped their heads up, quite startled at the picture of Neji with _somebody_ enjoying a time like this.

It appeared that they didn't seem to notice how the villagers were giving them stares, or how his arm just _happened_ to fall around her waist, or how her head was _just_ resting on his shoulder.

"Hey," Kagome pointed to a trinkets and charm stall, "Look at these, aren't they so pretty?" She marveled at all the jewels and silver, gold chains and jewelry displayed in front of the merchant.

"Kirei, ne?"

"Yes…" Kagome breathed out, awed, "Beautiful…"

"This one" The shopkeeper gestured towards two simple silver chain necklaces, "I think you'd like the best"

Hesitantly, Kagome's eyes dared to scan the other scattered jewelry, going back to the chains, "You know what…? I think…that you may be correct" she grinned, "But…" Kagome sighed wistfully, "I…I don't think I could afford these…gomen nasai…"

The merchant nodded in understanding.

Regretfully, Kagome cast her eyes on the chains one last time, before walking away with a silent Neji.

"I need to do something" Neji nodded to Kagome, pointing to the washroom nearby.

"Aa…" Kagome replied, reluctantly breaking from Neji's half embrace to let him go. She sat down on a nearby bench to wait for him.

'Neji's very…nice' Kagome inwardly blushed, 'He's been so helpful from the start and I haven't done anything…maybe I should…ne?'

A little while later, Neji came back, hands in his pockets, and sat down next to her.

"It's getting dark now…" Kagome commented, looking at the sky to find the wonderful hues of the sunset fading into the navy blue night sky.

Neji followed Kagome's gaze, "Aa…" While Kagome was still staring at the night sky, Neji stole glances at her, appearing to be nervous about something. No, it wasn't his facial expression, which was its normal calm, or his aura, that was still and controlled, not at all. Instead, it was the way his hands played with his fingers and how he kept looking at the woman, "…Could you do me a favor…?"

"Huh…?" Kagome snapped out of her trance, "A favor? What type of favor?"

"A simple favor, more of a request, actually..."

"Sure! No problem, what is it?"

"..." Neji looked into Kagome's cerulean eyes, "If you could…close your eyes"

She frowned. It was so simple, yet there was something about the request… "Alright then…" Pursing her lips, Kagome closed her eyes.

* * *

(Is hoping that everything will be better soon) Read and review onegai!

He's becoming very OOC, I'm aware, and I'm trying to refrain from that, but...yeah...

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai


	5. Chapter 5

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

Yosh! Next chapter out!

No matter how hard I try, he always ends up out of character in the end…I hope you guys don't mind, because I'm trying my hardest…

**Chapter 5: The Visit

* * *

**

'_You can't sweep people off their feet if you can't be swept off your own'_

-Clarence Day

* * *

Slowly, there was a bit of shuffling, and then Kagome could feel Neji's hot breath on her neck, making her face flush and heat up.

She heard a small '_chink_' and then some more rustling before something cold, but fairly light was placed over her head and onto her shoulders.

"You…can open your eyes now" Neji stated as he slipped away from his spot so near to Kagome.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, discovering two silver chains around her neck; the same ones that she had been longing for earlier.

"I've got to go now"

"N-Neji!" Kagome gasped, "You shouldn't have! Wait! Where are you going!"

The Hyuuga hid a satisfied expression as he ran away, face slightly pink. It was so unlike him to do this…and…well…

Coming out of her shock, Kagome stood up and sprinted towards him, attempting to catch up. In the process, she wrestled one of the two chains off her neck and kept on running.

"Neji! Neji, wait up! Why are you running away?" She finally accepted that she was not going to catch up to him, and instead, desperately flung the chain in her hand towards him, the metal links wrapping around his hair and landing on his shoulder.

"For you!" Kagome shouted as he kept on running.

He turned his head away from his view straight ahead closing his eyes, and grasping the one chain that he now held. His body shook as he was finally along. _Kagome…I was…I was afraid that you wouldn't accept me with this gift._

Back at where Kagome was left hanging…she smiled, fingering the one chain that she now held, 'We share a bond now, with these chains…thank you…Neji'

His face flashed in her mind again as she sighed in content.

The miko then grinned, the giddy smile slowly turning into laughter, feeling ecstatic, as if he had just entrusted her to his greatest secret.

That night, Kagome quietly crept into the Branch house once more, slowly opening the door to Neji's room, where she slept too, and slid in.

She found Neji on his bed, back to the door, breathing evenly, as if he was in a deep sleep.

Kagome walked up to him and paused, resting her hand on his shoulder for a minute, before slipping into her futon on the floor, still content from what had happened before.

Neji's eyes stayed open; he had been restless since he had come home, and as soon as he heard the faint footsteps of Kagome approaching, he stilled, pretending to sleep.

The Hyuuga had completely frozen when she had touched him, and as she went to bed, and finally retired for the night, Neji finally smiled.

Besides, nobody was watching.

* * *

**Morning…**

She didn't know why, but she felt as if it were her duty to tell him what she would be doing for the day.

It gave her an odd sense of happiness.

"Neji!" Kagome called out, approaching the area where she heard him training.

Hiashi and Neji paused in their routine of morning training, panting.

Neji turned towards the voice and gave her slight recognition that he noticed her, looking at Hiashi for permission for something.

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at Neji, but in the corner of his eye, saw two cups of tea being placed at the wooden steps, "You can take a break. We resume afterwards though"

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama" Neji nodded, walking up to Kagome to see what she wanted, "What are you doing here?" Not that he wasn't pleased to see her, of course.

Kagome smiled, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to visit Lee and his teacher today" A faint blush spread across her face as she recalled last nights' incident. Faintly, she could make out the glimmer of something metal around his neck.

He was wearing it!

The Hyuuga looked at her a bit strangely at first, "…Okay…"

"I don't know…for some reason, I just felt that you might want to know" She felt happier than ever now.

"Alright"

"Okay" Kagome turned around, "I'll see you around then, I'll leave you to your training now!" She laughed, waving and walking off.

A shadow stood over Neji after she left.

Neji looked up, to see Hiashi towering over him, "What?" He raised an eyebrow.

In a blunt tone, Hiashi questioned, "Are you courting that girl?"

"No…" He replied almost immediately.

"Right"

"Let's just get back to training, Hiashi-sama" Neji grounded out.

"Aa…" Hiashi replied in an amused voice.

* * *

**Lee and Gai-sensei's Apartment…**

_Knock_

_Knock_

_Knock_

Were they not home? Kagome was certain that…since they had a day off…he would sleep in. At least, that was what he used to do.

She sighed. It felt so different…she hadn't seen him in so long and now, she felt detached, like she didn't know him any more.

_Knock_

_Knock ----------_

"What wonderful springtime of youth has come to visit us?" The door clicked open, revealing Gai-sensei.

"Uh…excuse me…?" She was shocked by the resemblance of the two; "I--" Kagome raised a finger, but was cut off.

"—Are you here to see my youthful student? Hold on! Lee! Lee!" He raced back inside his apartment before Kagome could react.

She was left hanging there.

Several minutes later, two green beings stood near the door, "Gai-sensei, who has come to visit me?"

"A girl! A very youthful girl!" Gai-sensei grinned.

"Wha--?" Lee looked to where Kagome was standing, "—Kagome! What are you doing here? I thought you were looking for a place to stay?"

Kagome smiled, taking a step closer to her cousin, "I bought a house already…how have things been here?"

"Awesome! This is Gai-sensei, my teacher!"

The miko held her smile at Lee's sensei, "I'm Kagome, Lee's cousin. It's nice to meet you, Gai-sensei, and I'm thankful that you've taken so much care of Lee"

"He's the best teacher ever!" Lee cut in.

Not really knowing how to treat a visitor since he hardly ever had any, Gai-sensei paused, "Uh…would you…like…to come in? Maybe so?"

"Sure!" Kagome grinned, waiting until the door fully opened before entering and slipping off her shoes.

All at once, Lee erupted into chatter, happy that he could finally spend time with his cousin. He excitedly grabbed Kagome's arm, dragging her around the apartment, "…This is the kitchen, and this is where we eat, and oh--! This is my room, and…"

Kagome laughed at his enthusiasm, letting him pull her along, listening intently.

Gai-sensei stood at the side with a calm, unthreatening smile on his face. He was happy, because he had never seen Lee as joyful as now. It was enjoyable.

After their particularly long 'tour' of the apartment, Gai-sensei got them seated down in the living room with a few fruits on the table and lemonade, claiming that they were good for your 'youth'.

"…Yes, my name is Maitou Gai, and I've been Lee's teacher since he was approximately 11 to 12 years old" He nodded, cupping the glass of lemonade in his hands.

"That's great!" Kagome replied, taking a sip of the drink, "This is really good, did you make it?"

"I did!" Lee replied proudly.

"It tastes really good, nice job!"

He grinned, giving Kagome his thumbs up sign.

Kagome gently placed her glass on the coffee table, "Lee, could you get my bag onegai? Sorry, I think I accidentally left it outside the door"

Lee stood up abruptly, saluting his cousin happily, "Hai!"

After Lee left, Gai frowned, "But miss, your bag is right here…"

She nodded, "That it is…but I just needed to ask you a question…how is he doing?" Kagome asked, referring to Lee, "Is everybody treating him alright, is he having any problems…?"

Gai-sensei put her under his scrutiny for a minute before slowly replying, "He's doing just fine. When he first arrived, the academy students scorned and teased him, but gradually, they've become friends. He's been doing very well. I'm hoping my influence won't affect him in a negative way in the future"

"Oh…! Not at all! I thank you for your concern! I was just curious, a tad bit worried, actually, but you've reassured me" Kagome smiled pleasantly.

Lee's teacher smiled back.

"Kagome-chan…there was nothing out there, are you sure you forgot it?" Lee entered the room again, slightly frowning, "I'm thinking maybe somebody stole it, but I don't think Konoha is like that…"

The miko turned towards her cousin, "Gomen ne, Lee. I just realized I had it right beside me"

"Ah" Lee lighted up, "I'm glad to hear you didn't loose anything"

* * *

…And that's the chapter! Thank you for your support in this unusual pairing! I hope you continue reading…and I was actually pretty pleased with this chapter. Read and review onegai!

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai


	6. Chapter 6

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto.

Yosh! Next chapter up again! (Is proud)

Now don't kill yourself, Sakuma-chan! XD

**Chapter 6: Yosh! Introduction to Other Teams!**

"Yeah, I'd be devastated if I lost anything." Kagome grinned.

Gai eyed the two gently, observing their reactions to each other. They seemed so content, but he thought Kagome needed a guy, "Are you coming training with us tomorrow?" He questioned.

The miko perked up, "Training? Where?"

"We're having a team meeting tomorrow," He smiled, "Its rare tomorrow, because we're going to meet with the Rookie Nine."

"What's Rookie Nine?"

Lee jumped up and down, "Oh! They're the three teams that are a year younger than us! They're so youthful! You met some of them when you came."

"Youthful indeed, Lee," Kagome nodded, following along, "So, what time tomorrow?"

"It's at seven, but as of now…" Gai paused, "I shall beat my eternal rival! We're tied at 60 wins each! No doubt I will beat him tomorrow!"

Kagome eyed him oddly, "Well…good luck then…"

"Thank you!"

Lee smiled at Kagome, "Just come here at 6:30 and get ready, please?"

The miko smiled again, "Sure thing, Lee. I'll be here tomorrow, don't worry. We can spend some family time tomorrow then, ne?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

121212121212

Yawning, Kagome woke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring in her ears.

"Good morning, Kagome," She mumbled to herself, "It's time to get ready for this training thing."

Strangely, it was already almost light outside, when the curtains were parted.

Out on the streets, a few civilians were already awake, starting their duties for the day. Some looked worn out from lack of sleep.

Kagome checked the clock, "Six already?" Shaking her head, the miko stumbled into the washroom with a handful of clothes.

She emerged ten minutes later, fully dressed, and somewhat awake. Just plain shorts and a shirt did well. Her weapons were grabbed before she exited the room.

The miko turned around to enter the kitchen, coming face to face with Neji, "AHH!"

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Neji! You scared me there!"

Unfazed, he just sighed, "Tea?" Neji raised a cup, offering it to her.

"Oh yeah, thanks," Kagome muttered, gratefully accepting the hot drink, "How's your morning so far?"

"Acceptable" Neji nodded, picking up his own cup of tea, "Where are you headed?"

"To Lee's apartment. I promised him that I'd go there before going to your training session to meet some people."

"I'll meet up with you later then."

"Alright, see you later, Neji!" Kagome grinned.

121212121212

_Knock, knock, knock-_

"Kagome! How is my beautiful flower this early morning?" Lee swung the door open without warning, jumping out and hugging her.

She smiled at his early enthusiasm, returning the hug, "I'm doing just great; did you have a good sleep last night?" The miko was surprised how nobody seemed to wake up at his outburst.

Lee grinned, "Yes! And we should get going now! Gai-sensei!" He turned around, calling for his teacher.

Moments later, an older replica of Lee popped out of the apartment, locking the door, "Now we shall broadcast our youth to the world!" Gai pumped a fist, "Let's get going! I shall beat my eternal rival to the training grounds!"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head as the two shinobi ran ahead of her.

121212121212

"Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet, nobody is…" Naruto yawned, "And why do we have to wake up so early?"

"Naruto-kun…everybody always wakes up this early…"

"Hinata-chan! That is sort of true…"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata looked down, shuffling her feet.

"I am, and Shino and Sasuke are," Sakura replied grimly, "And besides, I think we're early. None of the teachers are even here yet."

"I am too." Neji scanned the clearing, looking for Kagome.

"Well…you're so quiet, I wouldn't consider you here." Sakura tried to explain.

"Sasuke and Shino are as quiet as I, and we're not comparable," Neji replied irritably. He tried to sound polite, or at least reasonable, but he didn't think he succeeded.

"Ahh, Neji! Your youth has compelled you to come early! I'm so glad!" Gai and Lee, who had just come from the east side of the clearing, came to an abrupt halt in from on Neji.

Neji stared at his teacher dully.

If they were here, then Kagome should be coming soon too.

He peered around the two green-clad shinobi, only to find Ino, adjusting her bangs, beside Chouji and Shikamaru, looking very bored. As they turned, he could finally see Kagome staring at her feet, kicking a stone, Tenten not quite far behind her.

"Kagome!" Sakura waved, trying to get her attention.

The miko perked up, searching for the voice, until her eyes locked on to Sakura, "Sakura!" She waved back, looking around before she also spotted Neji, "Neji!" Kagome fan up to him, smiling, "Didn't think you'd make it!"

Neji snorted, "I always do."

Kagome shook her head, taking a spot beside the Hyuuga, "So, what have you been doing all morning?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, then you should've came with me to Lee and Gai's apartment!"

"I don't hang around with those hot-blooded fools."

She laughed, patting him on the shoulder, "They're really sincere and enthusiastic, I know, believe me."

"Hinata! Shino!" Kiba burst into the clearing, Akamaru giving a bark behind him.

"Who are we waiting for now?" Kagome asked, watching all of the teams interact.

"The teachers, apart from Gai-sensei."

A second after he uttered those words, Kurenai appeared in the clearing with a puff of smoke, inspecting the training grounds before walking up to Gai.

The green-clothed teacher grinned, turning towards her, pumping a fist in the air, "I have beaten my eternal rival this time!"

Kurenai just stared at him blankly, deciding to turn away and talk to Asuma, who had appeared moments after her.

"Late as usual!" Naruto exclaimed, annoyed, "He's always late!"

"Who?" Kagome frowned.

Naruto turned to Kagome, scowling, "Kakashi-sensei, of course! He's always late!"

"You shouldn't expect that idiotic teacher to come early." Sasuke spoke calmly.

The blonde's reaction to the comment was to turn red and huff, turning away.

Sasuke just scoffed.

Kagome laughed, turning towards Neji, "Sasuke's much like you."

Neji stared at Kagome, "I am not comparable to the Uchiha."

She raised both eyebrows, sighing, "I was just saying, but really, your comparison is nearly the same, but you're older."

Surprisingly, there was another 'poof', and Kakashi appeared, his face buried in his usual orange book. He was late, but at the same time, early.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto pointed accusingly at the Jounin, scowling.

This caught the attention of many agreeable friends.

"Sorry, but I was only half an hour late, and I had to water this guy's garden-"

"-Nobody waters their garden at seven thirty in the morning here," Sasuke interrupted, muttering, "Pathetic."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, "I knew that."

"—KAKASHI! My eternal rival! I have beaten you once again! Now the score is 89-91! I am leading!"

The silver-haired Jounin turned towards Gai, staring, before shaking his head, "Kurenai, Asuma, start, would you?"

Kurenai nodded, facing the twelve shinobi, "We are not gathered here for a training session, as some of you have been lead to believe. Rather, there is a mission for all of you, and we have to gather you in Tsunade's office in half an hour."

Kagome nudged Neji, worried, "A mission?"

* * *

I have lead myself to believe…that this won't be a short story after all. XD I hope you guys like it so far. (I still need to update my Kurama/Kagome… (Sigh))

Reviews are very much appreciated.

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai


	7. Chapter 7

**---Inevitable Love---**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

Here's the next chapter. It sort of takes after, err…one of the Naruto filler chapters we've had a while ago. (Episode 158.)

To an anonymous reviewer called 'Random'. I went to Montgomery Elementary. Sorry. (This is funny, because just before I read this, somebody told me that I went to an 'Emerson Middle School. No such luck. XD)

**Chapter 7: Assisting Genins**

They were standing in the small office, waiting for Tsunade to acknowledge them; for her to look up from her paperwork. Her face…oddly seemed a bit too close to the paper.

Kagome looked up as somebody tapped her on the shoulder.

"I haven't seen you around, and you're not on any of the teams…" Kurenai trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome!" The miko smiled, "Lee's my cousin, and he invited me to a training session. And, you are?"

"I'm Kurenai, Shino, Hinata, and Kiba's teacher." The teacher paused to check if Tsunade had looked up yet, "Lee's your cousin? That's surprising."

"I know."

"You're going to take part in this mission?"

"Yeah…" Kagome scratched the back of her head sheepishly, scuffing her shoe on the ground.

"Tsunade…" Shizune prodded the Hokage, "…Tsunade!" She resorted to whacking her on the back of the head, sighing irritably.

"Huh?" Tsunade jerked up with a start.

"She was sleeping," Kiba muttered, annoyed.

Tsunade coughed, collecting her dignity, "So you're all here…with…who is this?"

"Higurashi Kagome, Lee's cousin."

"Ahh…okay, I'm sure she'll have no trouble at all with this mission anyway…though that means there's an extra person…" Tsunade mumbled, "oh well, I think it'll be fine. Your mission is to assist Genins through the forest. Each of you will be paired up in twos, or in this case, one pair of three, and lead a group of three Genins overnight to the checkpoint at the wide river south of here. Any questions?"

There were a few grumbles, but everybody accepted, and Tsunade moved on.

"Alright…" She glanced at a sheet of paper on her desk, "Shino, Lee, Ino, you're in a group."

Ino scowled, while Lee grinned, and here was no reaction from Shino.

"Sasuke, you're with Tenten."

Two nods.

"Chouji…you're going with Sakura."

Sakura sighed, while Chouji just agreed, eating a chip.

"…Shikamaru with Kiba…"

Shikamaru muttered, "How troublesome." His shoulders sagged in boredom.

Kiba smirked, patting Akamaru on the head.

"…Neji with Kagome, and finally Naruto with Hinata. We gather here tomorrow at six, be ready with all your supplies packed. You will pick up your supplies in advance, and gather your assigned team here. There, you will have twenty four hours to get to the checkpoint. Be sure to teach your Genins the necessary lessons. This is not a contest. Dismissed."

"I guess I'm with you, Neji," Kagome grinned, looking into his blank eyes.

"…Yes…"

121212121212

"Kagome." A finger prodded the side of her body.

She rolled over, mumbling. "…Neji? What time is it…?" Kagome made an effort to open her eyes and make eye contact with the Hyuuga.

"Five, now get up, we have supplies to gather before the meeting."

"Mmmm…." Kagome sighed, stretching. "…What time do we have to meet at Tsunade's, again?"

"At six."

"I hope we don't have some nasty, dumb kids."

Neji nodded in agreement, tossing her weapons onto her lap. "There are your weapons, and here's a knapsack. Get cleaned up, and we're going." He stood, supposedly to find his own knapsack.

Nodding absently, Kagome stumbled off the futon and into the washroom.

Approximately ten minutes later, the pair had their noses in the branch house refrigerator, searching for something to eat in the morning. Settling with a slice of toast, they were off.

121212121212

"You have your kunai-things, right?"

"Yes. And you?"

Kagome grinned hesitantly, "I do, though I'll see how I manage if I don't really know how to use them."

He shrugged, "I've got a lighter, and some water."

"I've got matches…and water."

"Bandages."

"Err…extra change of clothes."

Neji nodded. "Compass."

"…Damn, I don't have that one." Kagome sighed, shaking her head.

"A watch?"

"Yes…that's something I have." She flashed him the contraption on her wrist.

"You compare the twelve with the direction that the short hand is facing, doing the same with that angle. If you match the position up to the sun, the twelve will be facing somewhere near south."

Kagome was quiet for a moment, until she slowly nodded. "I see…thanks, Neji!" She beamed.

He shrugged yet again, fighting down a pool of _something_ in his stomach, "I think that's about it. If we want to teach the Genins something, we must live off what the forest gives us."

"That's very true," Kagome agreed. She glanced down at her watch again. "It's five fifty. I think we should get going."

"Yes, we should."

121212121212

The room was filled with Genins by the time the last two pairs had arrived.

Tsunade, for a change, was awake, scrutinizing the Genins.

They shrunk back a bit when her eyes ran over them, but the Genins were mainly cheerful, whispering to a good friend beside them, or playing with their shoes.

"Konohamaru's not here?" Naruto questioned, frowning.

Chouji shrugged, "Didn't the other Genins graduate last year?"

He paused, going into shock, "And he didn't tell me! I'm going to kill him next time I see him!"

A few others nearby shook their heads.

"Iruka," Tsunade yawned, "You can start now."

Iruka stepped out of the shadows, causing a few surprised reactions from the people who were clueless to his presence in the room, "I hope this will be a good learning experience for all of you…please listen to the instructions passed out by your leaders…"

Tsunade continued on. "Remember, you have twenty four hours. That's from the time you start, until the exact time tomorrow. Don't do anything stupid." At this point, she was only referring to the more brash boys. "And most of all…learn something, will you?"

"Now…if you guys could line up in your teams in number order, please…?" Iruka shuffled his papers and the Genins got up, shifting and uniting with their team in lines, "Team one…with Sasuke and Tenten."

Three mischievous-looking Genins grinned, and Tenten sighed warily, knowing that they would be trouble. They looked like they were going to attempt something…but one look at Sasuke's piercing eyes made them think twice.

"Team two…you're with Chouji and Sakura, I believe…" Iruka murmured thoughtfully.

Sakura nodded when she noted that they looked relatively calm, compared to Sasuke's group.

Chouji offered them a smile, and a snack.

"Shino, Lee, Ino, you've got Team three."

Ino wanted to bang her head against the wall. The poor Genins looked scared of their group.

Lee grinned, "Yosh!"

…And Shino just stared at them.

"Shikamaru, Kiba; team four, here you go."

"Nyah! Idiot Chuunin boys!" One of the Genins stuck their tongue out, making Iruka grimace.

"Why you…brat…!" Kiba was about to stomp up to the kid, but Shikamaru sighed, pulling on the Inuzuka's hood to stop him.

"Naruto and Hinata are with team five."

Hinata offered a tentative smile, while Naruto grinned.

Team five smiled lightly.

"And Neji and…" Iruka paused, noticing that he didn't know her name.

"Kagome." She smiled, nodding her head.

"Neji and Kagome, you have team six."

Neji let out a small noise of acknowledgement, while Kagome tried to comfort the Genins with a small smile.

The group seemed quite quiet, and that made Kagome partially relieved.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto found it quite ironic…that there was no team seven at all.

"Okay guys, get out there are start!" Iruka ushered them all out the door, and that was when everybody finally started to get louder.

121212121212

"Everybody has packed their supplies, right?" Kagome asked, looking down at the three.

"Yes!" They chorused, deciding to introduce themselves.

"I'm Riku."

"Ayaka, it's nice to meet you!"

"Ren."

Kagome nodded slowly, "Yeah…I'm Kagome, and that's Neji." She pointed her thumb behind her, at the Hyuuga that was currently looking over the map they received. "Soo… Neji, what's going to happen?"

"It appears that we have to get here…" He pointed to the very top of the map, "While we are only here." His finger moved down to the bottom left corner of the map.

The three Genins sighed.

"So we have to get there and back here in twenty-four hours?" Riku questioned.

"Yes."

"Well…" Kagome clasped her hands together. "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

Okay…I'm not favoring any story by updating this again…but I'm just going along with my mood, and flow. Whatever gets updated…gets updated…and I'm very aware that I still have to update Book of Paradise and Road to an Eternity of Wars.

My Kabuto/Kagome is up, please check it out and review if you haven't done so already.

I want to update a story for my birthday, but I fear that I won't be able too! XD (grins)

Yes…this is basically like another filler chapter. (Sighs) Honestly, I didn't mean it to be one. Yeah...I just took up names off the top of my head for the Genins...

Anyway, reviews would be appreciated.

Sayonara,

Tenshi-Battosai


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